Review

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The Fighter

(Paramount Pictures)

Oscar season is already upon us and several movies are predicted to be nominated for the coveted Hollywood trophy. One of those movies is David O’ Russell’s The Fighter, which received some high acclaim before its general release. It recently won Best Supporting Actor for Christian Bale from the National Board of Review, and it’s up for six Golden Globes including Best Picture (Drama). The question remains, does this movie have a good enough story to warrant a recommendation.

The film is based on a true story of “Irish” Mickey Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg), a young boxer training to become the next welterweight champion. He’s managed by his overprotective mother (Mellissa Leo), while being trained by his older half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). Eklund was once a boxing champion who went toe-to-toe with Sugar Ray Leonard (who plays himself in a small cameo), but then turned to a life of drugs which ended his promising career.

Following a losing match and a broken hand, Mickey contemplates quitting the sport until the support of his new girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) gives him the confidence to continue. But Dicky’s arrest for various crimes puts Mickey’s trust with his family and friends in jeopardy. Mickey has to decide what he can do to win an upcoming championship match while finding a way to bring his family unit back together.

The Fighter is a modern-day Rocky, and a pretty good one too. It has a nice feel-good story that anyone can enjoy. While Rocky was mostly about one man’s rise to the top, The Fighter is that kind of story but is also about fame and family. It also shows the dramatic struggles to get to the top like in many boxing films, but done well. Since the film takes place in the 1990s, it uses an array of rock songs from groups like Aerosmith and Whitesnake which helps both the authenticity and entertainment.

But the film’s biggest selling point is the cast, thanks to its two leads. Wahlberg and Bale are both fantastic in their performances playing brothers on opposite ends. Wahlberg has a good-natured personality that works for his character, while showing his lean, tough guy side when he fights in the ring. Bale steals the film balancing his wacky and serious sides to his character in the many scenes he’s in. These are the kinds of performances that have the right potential to be Oscar-caliber. The rest of the cast is great, but Wahlberg and Bale’s performances are the real highlight.

It’s too early to tell how well it will do in the upcoming Oscars, but The Fighter gets a whole-hearted recommendation as a feel-good story with great performances. Just in time to ring in the New Year, this is one movie that helps celebrate the end of the old year and celebrating the new.

THE MOVIE’S RATING: Rated R (for language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality)

THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)